Why is it that 98.7% of my personal prayer lists are either for the needs of others or for my own needs? (The remaining percentage is an embarrassingly minimal scattering of praise and acknowledgment of God.) I’m guessing that those without pressing needs, those who appear to already have solid walks in Christ, don’t make my prayer list because I don’t think they need prayer. But Paul provides an insight into how the body of Christ is strengthened, how fellowship extends beyond just physical contact: Prayer and praise for the strength, faith and effectiveness of the spiritually strong and mature.

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All the commentaries and scholarly material providing the historical background of Paul’s letter to Philemon indicate that it was written while Paul was a prisoner in Rome. But I’m confused. Wasn’t Paul a prisoner of Ceasar, of the Roman government? The account of his initial arrest and hearings in Israel — and subsequent journey to Rome — are documented in Acts, but they would indicate that Paul was a prisoner as a result of false charges brought about by Jewish authorities (Acts 21-22), a plot to kill Paul without a trial (Acts 23), a hearing before the Roman governor Felix (Acts 24), and finally a hearing before both the Roman governor Festus and Jewish king Agrippa. Yet, in spite of everything that all these individuals and groups unfairly did to Paul, he actually states he is “a prisoner of Christ Jesus”?

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Now for all of those out there who religiously ascribe to the notion, “Thou shalt not judge”, can you explain to me how it’s possible to follow Paul’s instruction here without judging another? The problem is, once again, a lack of possessing a vocabulary that’s in line with the Bible. There’s a clear difference between “judgment” — claiming you know for absolutely sure someone is permanently winding up in hell, and “discernment” — knowing that according to God’s Word another’s behaviors and beliefs are leading them to hell.

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I don’t use this as a forum for my political views and won’t start now. But being in the midst of another presidential election cycle I will say that I’m deeply distressed over what I believe is great damage to the name of Christ. I expect the world to hate Christ; I expect the world to lie and misrepresent Him; I expect all manner of unseemly behavior from non-believers — I DO NOT expect it from those claiming to be His followers.

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Having lived my professional life in the bowels of corporate America, I was very surprised when churches began employing the corporate technique of developing a mission statement. If you’ve never done this, it’s a group exercise in which everyone brainstorms a two or three sentence summary of an organization’s purpose, condensing as succinctly as possible all of the organization’s chief goals and activities. It was alarming to me from a church point of view because, like the example of the verses quoted above, the Bible is the best source for a church’s mission statement. Everything we need has been stated by Paul right here.

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Now we all know, of course, that people will find fault with us no matter what we do or say, no matter if we’re 100% innocent of anything they purport or concoct. Paul isn’t providing some kind of formula guaranteeing protection against unwarranted criticism or even outright persecution, but is speaking to the fact that true believers are held to a higher standard. The term “beyond reproach” is a standard which, according to God’s judgment, no one can legitimately accuse us of living a double life, of allowing sin to live side-by-side with our Christianity.

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One of the things that I’m sure has contributed to some seeing me as “non-traditional” in my beliefs is my consistent rejection of all church programs and activities devoted exclusively to married couples. What I’m specifically speaking about are books, seminars, programs, and retreats aimed at somehow teaching what it means to be a “wife” or “husband” which attempt to merge principles rooted in the likes of psychology with what are perceived to be biblical principles. I subscribe to the strange notion that the solution for married couples is the same as for all members of the body of Christ: Put the Word of God into practice.

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